Seeing Horticulture: Wednesday evening lab, F 2009

I found these plants outside of the horticulture building in St. Paul. Despite looking mostly dead, the center of each is still green, and not dry.

I found this plant outside of the horticulture building in St. Paul. The fact that it still has green leaves and not all are wilted suggests that it is not yet dead.

I found these awesome berries on campus, just south of our classroom. They were so brightly colored, and perfectly round, I just had to take their picture even though I have no idea why there are still around. The only thing I can figure is that they may be hearty to begin with, and that possibly berries are the last to go in regards to a plants growth. But again, what struck me as odd, was how fit they looked - bright and round - still no apparent signs of stress.

This plant is outside my apartment complex. I believe it's still alive because most the stems and leaves are still green. There's the exact same plant located in a different area of my complex that has wilted brown leaves and stems.  

This plant is outside my apartment complex too. I would consider that it's still alive because there's a variety of colors in the leaves of the plant.

I saw this little guy struggling alongside an older, and sadly, deceased family member, in my oft used park by my workplace. I'm guessing he may be still alive due to the established and mature rooting system that he appears to have tapped into.

Both of these plants were found in my back alley, on the sides of garages. They are still surviving because of the insulation and wind protection provided by the garages and nearby houses.

This is a vine weaving through a dead tree. The tree probably provided insulation until it lost its leaves. The leaves on the vine are starting to droop and die.

Below is a plant I found in the Marcy Holmes area as part of some landscaping near 6th Ave SE and 5th St SE.  Next to all the browns and grays of late fall, the purple in the center of the plant stands out quite a bit.  The plant seems to be made of rather resilient material (it has a similar texture to cabbage), most likely helping it survive through a few colder months.  Also, since it is part of some landscaping, its attentive care during the prior months may have helped it be more prepared for the fall.    

The first picture is of  an unknown plant species, most likely some form of weed that is still alive despite the cold temperatures. as you can see this plant is half covered by a large pile of dead leaves. One thought I had about this situation is that as these leaves decompose they will release heat due to the breakdown of matter inside the pile. It's possible that the heat put off by this pile of leaves is insulating the plant from the cold exterior temperatures.

The second picture I have is of a massive group of Creeping Charlie, s specie of weed. This large group of plants appears to be totally unaffected by the cold temperatures as all the leaves are still quite green and healthy looking. One theory i have is that because this plant species uses rhizomes to spread, it is possible that these plants are surviving because water and nutrients are able to flow over large relative distances due to the rhizomes connecting each plant so that the entire group stays healthy even if resources are scattered throughout the area.